Swimming apparatus



W. WEBSTER. SWIMMING APPARATUS. APPLICATION men AUG-9, 19:9.

Patented May 25, 1920.

/0 Z. 5 J XII WILLIAM WEBSTER, OF VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.

SWIMMING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Iatented May 25, 1920.

Application filed August 9, 1919. Serial No. 316,394.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM VEBSTER, a

subject of the King of Great Britain, and

a resident of the city of Victoria, in the Province of British Columbia, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Swimming Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in swimming apparatus and the object of my invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive device adapted for attachment to the feet of swimmers which enables increased power to be attained on the propelling stroke, in which the frictional resistmice when being drawn through the water prior to the propelling stroke is reduced to the minimum, and which is strong and practical and does not detract from the buoyancy of the user when in use.

I attain this object by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation.

Fig. 3 is a plan view, in perspective, showing the device closed.

Fig. 4 is a plan view, in perspective, showing the device open.

Fig. 5'is a fragmentary perspective view looking on the underside of the device.

Fig. 6 is a side view of a slat valve.

Fig. 7 is a top edge View of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is an end view of a slat valve.

Fig. 9 is a cross section through 5-5 in Fig. 6.

. ig. 10 is a fragmentary view showing the stop member for the valves.

Similar figures of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.'

1 indicates the frame of the device which is preferably rectangular in form and consists of the sides 2 and 3 and connecting ends 4 and 5, there being secured to the upper edges of the sides transverse bars 6 and 7 on which is mounted a shoe 8 by means of which the frame may be readily attached to the foot. valves 9 provided at each enc with pins 10 are hung within the frame, the pins 10 pass ing freely through the ends 4 and 5, and these slat valves are of such length and breadth that when they are all arranged horizontally, as shown in Fig. 3, the opening of the frame is closed with the exception of a slight clearance between the edges Lon itudinal slat of the respective valves and between their ends and the ends of the frame, the clearance being just sufficient, however, to allow of the free movement of the valves. These slat valves are of greater thickness at their ends than their mid portion, which is cut away on one side for thegreater part of the length of the slat, as shown at 11 in Figs. 6 and 7, so as to be of the cross section shown in Fig. 9, the thin portion flaring out into the thick end portion 12 as shown in Figs. 6 and. 7 so that the water pressure on the side of the valve which is cut away will move it from a vertical to a horizontal position when propelled. backwardly through the water.

The upper edges of the valves are rounded or pointed, as indicated at 13 in Fig. 8, and operate in notches 14 out in the underside of the bars 6 and 7, and the valves are arranged so that when in the open vertical position they will hang in pairs adjacent each other and open out in opposite directions, stops 15 being provided in the ends 4 and 5 of the frame against which the valves of each pair rest when vertical, as shown in Figs. 4 and 1,0, the notches 14 being also provided with one edge squared as at 16 to form a rest for the valve operating there in when the same comes to the vertical position.

The manner in which the device operates will be apparent, as it will be seen that, when a pair are attached to the feet of a swimmer, on the instrokc of the legs the slat valves will swing to their vertical positions and as they, and. also the sides and ends of the frame are constructed of any suitable thin material, little resistance is offered to the water, which then passes unrestricted through the frame. On the commencement of the 'outstroke of the legs, however, the water, acting on the sides of the valves which are cut away and flared toward their ends, swings them on their pins 10 to their horizontal positions to close the opening of the frame with the result that the effective driving area is largely increased, and as the weight of the device when out of the water is such that when immersed to the proper swimming position its weight is negligible this increased area is obtained without sacrifice of buoyancy and without adding materially to the resistance ordinarily encountered in swimming.

It will be seen therefore that I have devised a swimming apparatus characterized by the entire absence of springs, clips, or any small parts and which enables greater power to be exercised and greater speed to be attained by swimmers than where the feet only are used, which is entirely automatic'in action, and which is simple, eflieient and capable of being manufactured and sold at a low cost.

What I claim as my invention is 1. Ina swimming apparatus, an open frame adapted for attachment to the foot, and slats pivoted within the frame in pairs forming valvesoperative automatically to alternately open and close the frame as it is respectively drawn forwardly and propelled backwardly, the valves in each pair hanging vertically adjacent each other when in the open position.

2. In a, swimming apparatus, an open frame adapted for attachment to the foot, slats pivoted within the frame in pairs forming valves operative automatically to alternately open and close the frame as it is respectively drawn forwardly and propelled back-wardly, the valves in each pair hanging vertically adjacent each other when in the open position, and rest stops for the open valves.

35. In a swimming apparatus, an open frame adapted for attachment to the foot,

slats pivoted within the frame in pairs forming valves operative automatically to alternately open and close the frame as it is respectively drawn forwardly and propelled backwardly, the said valves being chamfered for a portion of the length of their undersides and. adapted to hang vertically in pairs adjacent each other when in the open position.

l. In a swimming apparatus, an open frame adapted for attaclnnent to the foot, and slats pivoted within the frame forming valves operative automatically to alternately open and close the frame as it is respectively drawn for 'ardly and propelled hackwardly, the said valves being chan'ifered for a portion of the length of their undersides and sharpened on their forward edges and adapted to hang vertically in pairs when in the open position.

5. In a swimming apparatus, an open f'ame having valves hung therein adapted to swing automatically to close the frame when propelled hacl'nvardly and to open it when propelled forwardly, shoe supports connecting opposite sides of said frame, and a shoe directly attached to said supports.

Dated at Victoria, B. 0., this 23rd day of July, 1919.

WILLIAM \VEBSTER. 

